When hiking, backpacking or camping, the volume and weight of gear is an important consideration. On an extended trip, it is often not possible to carry sufficient pairs of pants and undergarments, in an attempt to economize on space and weight. Thus, the camper or hiker has no choice other than to frequently wash out these garments, oftentimes under inconvenient circumstances, such as insufficient hot water. Moreover, these garments require a long time to dry, which presents a particular difficulty when the campsite is moved daily.
A further difficulty with use of separate, conventional undergarments is that the undergarments are often visible through the wearer's outergarments. Typically, seam lines show. One current approach to this problem is to utilize undergarments that only cover the crotch area and do not cover any other portion of the abdomen or buttocks. However, these have the distinct disadvantage of causing chafing, particularly when worn during athletic activity.